LRC 2:05:06!!! Geoffrey Mutai Caps Year In Style An unbelievable year in men's marathoning had an appropriate finish, as the Kenyan man who had the most unbelievable of all years, Geoffrey Mutai, smashed the previous NYC Marathon record by a stunning 2:38 - that's two minutes and 38 seconds. If it wasn't the greatest 2nd-greatest men's marathon performance
ever, you'll have to tell us what was. American Meb Keflezighi hung with the leaders for 20 miles after a blistering 63:16 1st half and ended up with a much-deserved PR. Mutai picked up $200,000 by winning, but the big financial winner was runner-up Emmanuel Mutai, who won $635,000 ($500,000 for the WMM title).

LRC Mary Keitany Beats HerselfThe women's race was full of gut-wrenching
drama, as Mary Keitany went out in a crazy 67:56. The problem was she came back in 74:42, as unheralded Firehiwot Dado (Rome
Marathon champ) got the win.

LRCChris Thompson, Sara Hall Win, Ritz Is 3rd (link fixed) Hall continued her fine fall campaign with the win in this race that serves as a huge NYRR recruiting tool. Most importantly for US distance fans, Dathan Ritzenhein did well and emerged from the race healthy (link fixed to story with Hall interview).

LRC Healthy Ritz Talks About Marathon Trials, His Track Ambititions And More After double foot surgery in March, a healthy Ritz ran what was likely his only race before the Olympic Marathon Trials in 10 weeks. He talked about his preparations for the Marathon Trials, his desire to run faster on the track, and showed
he stil has a lot of fire: "The talent's still there. I'm still young.
I'm 28 so hopefully I just keep getting better."

Trying To Inspire The Next Generation

Gary Reed Hopes To Bring Track Back To LifeVancouver Sun
"I don't know that a lot of people want to admit that, but I know it's
dying. The next generation is really struggling. The numbers from junior
to senior are falling off like crazy and I, as someone who got my whole
life from track, would love to leave the sport better off than what I
found it."

An Interesting Debate: Appearance Fees Vs. Prize MoneyDavid Powell: "There may be some Utopian merit in the idea of dispensing with appearance fees and moving all the cash into prize money, but it's a fantasy notion. It's never going to happen as a rule of law. That may be stating the obvious but it needs to be said as a precursor to discussing the benefits, or otherwise, of theoretically eliminating fees."